Living Out Loud

I've always been impressed with Joseph; not the Joseph of Mary, the mother of Jesus, but Joseph the self-righteous shepherd boy that God gave dreams and he felt he should share them.  So what if they put his ten older brothers down and his father at the same time; that makes for a great family dinner time conversation.... "all of you are going to bow down to me".  I'm not sure if it was before this or after that his father gave him a precious cloak made with many royal colors.  Hey, in the desert, why hide your favoritism of one son over another.  Speaking of which, I don't recall daughters, but that is for another time.

Anyway, what has always impressed me is that Joseph lived OUT LOUD.  Everything we know about him was OUT LOUD.  He is hated by his brothers, cast into a pit, sold to caravaning merchants as a slave, bought by Potipher who is close to the Pharaoh (his captain of the guard) and then Joseph rebuffs the Potipher's wife's advances.  This lands him prison where he does his time.


Now, I have always wondered, after a month, then a year pass, and until he is summoned by the Pharaoh was he daily praising the Lord and worshiping and not anxious about the injustice of his imprisonment?  I mean, isn't this where the proverbial "rubber hits the road"?


OK, it says that "the Lord was with him...", I get it, but my humanity wonders if my spiritual discipline would sustain me in the long rough times.  Then to add to it Joseph interprets a pair of dreams that come true and the cup-bearer is given back his job and the Baker looses his head.  The cup-bearer forgets to tell the Pharaoh of the unjust imprisonment of Joseph and he cools his heals a "full two years".  I would be feeling pretty alone at this point if it were not my faith that God is and always has been in control.

The Whirlpool Galaxy (M51) and companion galaxy

Even in prison he is living OUT LOUD!  Here is a shepherd boy, learns some management skills on the job, falsely accused of rape, can interpret dreams and when he gets his big break before Pharaoh, what does he say? 

"I cannot do it," Joseph replied to Pharaoh, "but God will give Pharaoh the answer he desires." Gen 41:16 NIV
 
Humble, knowing that God does not share His glory, Joseph is a tool in God's hand and acts accordingly to save a nation, his family, and a brother he has never seen?  No, though that comes later, Joseph acts as the servant of the living God; not as a puppet, but as a committed bond servant willing to give up everything.  Joseph interprets both Pharaoh's dreams like before, God gave the dream and interpretation, all things belong to God.  And who but a man surrendered to God can do as Joseph did?


Then Joseph goes on to be second in command of the greatest civilization of the time and he helps them survive.  He didn't pour over research or take classes in political science, Joseph did what God called him to do; live OUT LOUD FOR GOD!  BE SOLD OUT TO HIM AND HE WILL TAKE CARE OF THE REST.

A Reflection Nebula in Orion

It isn't the last time that God uses a shepherd boy because of his heart.  You will never be rich enough, smart enough, strong enough, skilled enough, or fashionable enough to replace what God can do with raw, devoted, available, honest lives that He sees are so rare and ready to be molded.



Credit: NASA/ESA and the Hubble Heritage Team (STScI).